Healthy Pets Need Healthy Food!!
A rambling discussion of canine nutrition...or, how much do you really love your dog?
Welcome to my web page...on subject on which I have become somewhat passionate of late -- the feeding of my beloved canine companions. Below you can see two beautiful dogs...with their owners (me and my also beautiful daughter, Frances (she's the other blonde!). Pictures of some of my favorite past and current rescue dogs are also spread throughout this site.
Why Write About Dog Food?
If you have a dog, and you treat that canine
companion as a member of the family, you probably want your buddy, your friend,
to live a long and happy life...and a healthy one! I can speak from
experience, that once I began feeding my dogs only human grade food, there were
dramatic changes in their body odor (no more doggie BO!), breath smells (no
more halitosis!), coats, ear condition, skin condition, coat color and shine.
This web page is devoted primarily to encouraging
readers to investigate certain aspects of their own pets' health - - focusing primarily
on how the food you feed your dog affects their overall well-being, frequency
of health problems and longevity. It's kind of a variation on that old Framm oil
filter commercial -- "Pay me now or pay me later." Feeding your dogs right
now may cost a little more, but will be better for them -- and cheaper
for you -- in the long run.
Table of Contents
What's
in Commercial Dog Food? And What Happens When
Dogs Eat It?
What Should Dogs Eat?
What if I Don't Want to Spend
A Lot to Feed My Dog?
Cooking for your Dogs
A Dog's Prayer
What's
in Commercial Dog Food? And What Happens When Dogs Eat It?
Most people who have dog companions want to be sure
that their friends are well fed... and they believe that the commercial foods
(often even recommended by their veterinarian!) are quality foods.
Unfortunately, most commercial dog foods contain many ingredients that are
indigestible, of low food value or likely to be allergens to their dogs.
Dogs are often allergic to the very foods found as the primary ingredient in many commercial dog foods -- especially most of the grocery store brands. Dogs find soybeans indigestible (just result in bigger piles of poop and an irritated digestive tract). Corn doesn't mean just corn, it means the entire cob....cows don't even eat that! It is meaningless filler that no doubt contributes to intestinal problems and skin problems.
Read the label of
grocery store-brand dog food. Despite the label claim of being "lamb
and rice," likely the
first few ingredients are variants of soy, corn and wheat. Followed by poultry
by-product digest meal....heads, feet and guts including the manure in the
guts! And if the meat source just says "lamb" and not "lamb
meal." that means the weight of the lamb before drying into the
kibble. Take the moisture out, and it would drop much lower in its content
in the food.
Many dog foods also include brewer's rice, which
sounds very healthy. In fact, brewers rice is broken bits of rice, missing most
of the nutrients, because all the nutrients in rice are in the outer covering.
And brown rice has far more nutrients than white rice anyhow.
I hear many, many people ask about why their dogs chew their feet....some folks think it is just a habit. It's not a habit!! Dogs exhibit their allergic reactions first in their skin, and often first in their feet. If your dog chews at the root of his or her tail and/or licks at its feet, it is likely that the dog has a food allergy and is just itchy!
Sometimes dogs get bacterial or yeast infection in between their toes with all that licking. If you think your dog might have such an infection, have your vet use sticky slides to get some of the organisms between your dog's toes and view this under a microscope to be sure. Don't just administer antihistamines or steroids to cover up the problem...get to the source of the problem!
These itches translate in some dogs into hot spots, or lick granulomas. The dog's skin is so itchy, they keep licking at it until they cause themselves an injury.
And then there is the quality of the meat used...dogs are primarily carnivores, and need a very meat-oriented diet. Yet, the majority of commercial dog foods use meat that is considered "pet grade food" -- not the parts of the foods humans don't care to eat, but rather meats and other food products not considered healthful enough for human consumption...like spoiled grocery store meat, roadkill and diseased cattle/poultry.
Not very appealing and certainly doesn't sound like "optimal nutrition" for your dog. When chickens in a processing plant have salmonella poisoning, where do you think these not-for-human-consumption chickens go? Into pet food. How else do you think you can purchase a 40-pound sack of dog food for under $20??
You may think that better food is more expensive...and
you don't want to pay the price, but you need to factor in the cost of that
$100 vet visit for steroids and ointments to control severe hot spots.
Don't believe me? Check out these web sites:
What
Should Dogs Eat?
If you love your dog companions, give them food of
as high a quality as you would eat yourself. Give them food made from human
grade ingredients. There are a variety of these foods on the market,
made primarily from lamb, chicken or turkey and an assortment of grains (whole
brown rice, amaranth, millet, barley). If you want to feed a dry kibble, there
are some good ones out there. Here
is a list of some of the brands that exist, and links to the manufacturers'
sites and some great store sites:
Cool Dog Supplies
at SitStay.com
In Canada, try these sites to compare foods:
However, there currently is a movement to feed raw meats and other foods, similar to what dogs ate
before they were domesticated. These diets are known to solve many allergy
problems in dogs and provide an optimum source of nutrition. Ever see a pack of wolves, with
digestive systems identical to dogs, sitting around a campfire roasting up that
bunny they just caught, serving a side of roasted corn cobs and soy with
it?
Here are some links that will open your eyes to what
some folks are doing to feed their dogs -- at a price less than many so-called
"premium" dog foods:
America's Best Frisbee
Dog's Diet Page -- B.A.R.F. -- Bones And Raw Food
BARF Frequently
Asked Questions
Timberlea
German Shepherds' BARF Diet Page
Obtaining a pre-made raw diet is easy, too. There are many companies offereing such
food, but one of the best is Oma’s Pride, which provides USDA inspected
and approved food for your dog or cat. Here is a link to their site, with a listing of local retailers:
Oma's Pride
On a more general note, here are some sites that
describe many other foods and diets:
Descriptions
of some quality dog foods
Information
on some dry food with many links to holisitic and natural dog food sites
What
if I Don't Want to Spend A Lot to Feed My Dog?
What's a lot? Right now, if you are feeding one of
the popular "good" foods (Iams, Hills, ProPlan, etc.) you are
spending around (just under) $1 per pound. Oddly, that's the same price as
these other higher quality foods I've listed above. If you're feeding grocery
store brands, and the information on this page and/or the links I've provided
hasn't convinced you that it's a "pay me now or pay me later" kind of
problem, then I just hope your dog lives as long, and as well, as possible.
Sad to say, none of the large super pet stores seems
to carry the better dog foods...human grade, that is. (With the exception of
Nature's Recipe and Nutro Natural Choice.) You'll have to go to a smaller pet shop, or to a local health
food store to find some of the better brands.
Most of the sites I've listed have toll-free numbers
-- call them to get the location of the dealer closest to you. This site below
may also be helpful in locating a nearby dealer:
Names and addresses of dog
food companies
Cooking
for your Dogs
Ever wondered why your best dog-buddy clings to your
side when you have your dinner in hand? Ever notice how happy
your dog-buddy gets when you give him some of your food? Well, duh, it's
because it just tastes better than the dry stuff you put in the dog
dish!!
With very little effort you can make a home version
of canned dog food to add to their truly balanced dry food. I make this in
large batches and freeze it in bags or containers, adding a heaping spoonful
(like 1/4 cup or so) to my dogs' meals. They love it...and I love to see
them enjoy their food!!
Providing as much raw and uncooked meat, bones,
fruits and vegetables as possible is the ideal way to provide dogs the diet
their systems were designed to digest. I give my guys raw liver, raw fruits and
veggies and such...but some people can't bear to do that. In which case, giving
your pups cooked meats, veggies and good grains is WAY better than just giving
them a non-stop diet of kibble. My
daughter, a college student, for instance, won't touch raw meat...she's gonna
starve as an adult, but for now, I cook her this mixture so her pup doesn't
live on leftover pizza crusts (which he LOVES) and plain kibble (although she
does buy him lots of bananas!)
Warning: Do not substitute
this for your dog's regular food, as it is not tested for nutritional
completeness. It is intended as a supplement, the same as any table scraps you
might be tempted to provide.
1. Purchase
raw liver, about 3-4 pounds
2. Purchase
raw chicken or turkey (I prefer chicken), the best value price you can get (I
like it when they have leg quarters on sale for 40 cents a pound), about 3-4
pounds.
3. Make
sure you have a pound or so of brown rice on hand, along with some soup herbs
(such as bay, sage, rosemary, etc.) and some vegetables (carrots and green
beans are good...don't use onions since most dogs don't digest them well.) You can cook some
barley as well as oatmeal to go along with the rice. Make sure you have a dozen
eggs on hand also.
4. Place
the liver in a pot and cover with water. Cook on low heat, stirring
occasionally until the liver is just cooked. Drain water and cool liver.
5. Place
the chicken and herbs in a pot and cover with water. Cook for several hours
until chicken is very tender. Drain soup stock and reserve. Cool
chicken, pick off skin and meat and discard bones and cartilage.
6. Use
soup stock to cook rice or barley or oatmeal -- be aware that they have
different cooking times, so cook the rice separately from the barley. Use soup
stock to cook vegetables until they are soft or just grate or chop vegetables
and add them to the hot grains after they have cooked.
5. Cook
eggs using canola oil (if you have it) for shortening to grease the pan.
Otherwise, use margarine or butter. (I like to add garlic
to these!) as scrambled, breaking them up into small pieces as they get cooked.
Cool.
6. When
all ingredients are cool, use a grinder, blender or food processor (food
processor is best) to chop up liver and chicken, using the remaining chicken
stock to make it easier in the food processor or blender. If grinding, just add
the stock to the mixture. Mash or chop vegetables. Mix all ingredients
together, getting a balance of meat, rice and vegetables.
7. Store
in the freezer for use as needed, as a supplement to add flavor and variety to
your dog's regular balance dry food. They will love it!!
If you would like to cook more for your pups, here
are some sites for cooking for your dogs:
I hope I've enticed you to
take good care of your dog...to give your loving companion as long and healthy
a life as possible. Read "A Dog's Prayer" below if you need more
convincing of how much they rely on us to make the best decisions for them.
Treat
me Kindly
A Dog's Prayer
My beloved master, for no
heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than this loving heart of
mine. Do not break my spirit with a stick, for I should lick your hand between
the blows. Your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the
things you would have me do. Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's
sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your
footsteps fall upon my waiting ears. When it is cold and wet, please do take me
inside, for I am a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements, and
I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the
hearth. Though you had no home, I would prefer to follow you through ice and
snow, rather than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in the land.
Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you
were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food that I
may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and
stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life, should your life be
in danger. And master, when I am very old, if the Great Master sees fit to
deprive me of my health and sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather, take
my trusting life gently, and I shall leave you, knowing with the last breath I
draw, my fate was always safest in your hands. Amen.
by Stanley Przystas
used
with thanks to and permission from the Przstas family
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